Original watch catalogues are very useful in identifying and
discovering information about particular lines of vintage watches, especially when
accompanied with price lists of the time. They are a collectible in their own
right and add to the richness and enjoyment of serious collecting.

So when Jim Wilson acquired a 1955 Norman Morris Omega catalogue
showing the entire men’s and women’s collections for the year, I quietly
salivated over the prospect of having a peek.

There are a number of interesting inclusions in the
catalogue: an example of the hooded lugged Ultima with a beautifully woven and
heavy Milanese bracelet; the appearance of black dialled Omegas confirming that
they were part of the available inventory or not just special order; a
Constellation being marketed as a Globemaster; a MK Two version of the
Centenary 2499 available seven years after the original models to mark Omega’s
100th birthday, amongst others.

The catalogue was originally held by Coffman Jewellers in
Gettysburg Pennsylvania, an Omega stockist of the time. Our thanks to Jim for
converting the catalogue into a digital format and for his generosity in allowing me to share it here.

Hi Desmond, sorry to bother you but I had reason to send the message below to eBay seller 'adtpcs' regarding an Omega automatic cal 500. The item number is 311808939061

Hi, just for your information, the watch case G6518 should have a calibre 351 in it, not the calibre 500. This watch has been put together from 2 different watches. I checked my suspicion on Omegas website so am definitely sure I am correct. This message is for your information only.Sincere regardsGraham

He replied:-Hello,I am not the only one selling the same watch. If you do a google / image search, you will see several 14k G6518's cases with caliber 500 movements. See the following link for one example:

Do you know for certain it is not a transitional model? Do you have any documentation from Omega that my watch or several others being sold are not original (ie - put together) ? If so, I will take it into consideration. Omega's website is a great source of information for vintage watches, but it is not 100% complete. I've used the Omega site numerous times just to find out that they have no info on a particular reference number i had (ex - Omega Flightmaster ref 2914-6). adtpcs

Before I send him an apology could you take a look to confirm my suspicions please. It seems obvious from records that I am correct and based on his reply if I am correct there are an awful lot of G6518 cases omegas out there with the wrong calibre movement.Thanks DesmondAll the bestGraham

Yes, I note the OVDB shows only the cal 351, but these US models are problematical. Morris was importing 17J movements and casing them in the US and they are not always by a long shot recorded in the database.

Serial dates the movement to 1955, and I speculate it was cased in 56. It is entirely possible that some local US examples of the 6518 also housed the cal 500.

I have checked in my files and I dont have a catalogue for 56, and so really cant say either way.

A cal 500 17 jewel is not a collectible watch and is worth gold value only in my opinion, and adding to my disinterest is its US casing and ambiguity over case number. Given that there are others around, the possibility increases because there is not enough in them for the FrankenMeisters to make an industry out of putting them together.

Thanks for that Desmond, I really appreciate your input. I'm sorry to have really wasted your time and effort. I think I will concentrate on tried and tested models where the pedigree is beyond doubt and ambiguity. I read with great interest the catalogue you linked above, in particular the centenary model with the very interesting dial. I'm still searching for my first globemaster but it's like finding hens teeth. I'm still also trying to find my first reference KL Dynamic Geneve. I'm still learning so much from your essays in between my searches and they really do spark even more interest in other omega models so thank you once again. Hopefully my next communication will contain details on another rare find to have surfaced. All the best, Graham

I am a long-term collector of vintage Omega watches with a passion for Omega Constellations of the fifties and sixties. This blog is offered as an educational resource for potential and existing collectors who wish to learn more about the brand and avoid the traps and pitfalls of buying in a global market.